


Love Actually, is all around.

by satellitemoments



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Love Actually Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:18:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7066765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satellitemoments/pseuds/satellitemoments
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love Actually AU. Louis is Prime Minister and Harry his fortunate catering manager.</p><p>It's one of my favourite films ever and this couple in particular, so I decided to do a Larry take on it. Enjoy!</p><p>(I hope this will make sense even if you haven't seen the film but it might just be incredibly random. Also, I seriously recommend that if you haven't, you change that asap.)</p><p>Fic Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGxpHG2cMoHc09CEncYxKxcUOz32n9_yg<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Actually, is all around.

                                                          

 

 

The cheers from the crowd that gathered outside could be heard before Louis even got out of the car. He took a deep breath, savouring the few seconds of privacy the blacked out windows of his Mercedes provided him with. This was it. The moment he walked through those doors, his job – which happened to be leading the country – would begin. He straightened the edge of his suit sleeves slightly and rolled his shoulders back in attempt to seem as professional as possible. It’s now or never after all.

The very second his foot stepped onto the pavement, lights flashed from every corner that his eye could catch and he heard his name being yelled repeatedly from various reporters beckoning his attention. The door to 10 Downing Street opened ahead of him. He did as he had been taught, throwing waves, smiles, and thumbs ups, at every face that his sight landed upon. It felt surreal that he was actually here. That he had actually won the election. It was simultaneously the most terrifying and yet wonderful thing to have ever happened to him. So he was about to take over the leadership of Britain, no big deal.

Except, very big deal. Somehow he had managed to convince his family, his party and the majority of the public, that he was confidently capable of this task. Now he just had to prove that their judgement was not wrong. Pride surged in him at the thought of what he had achieved. He was known for being a determined man and no matter what happened, he could not afford to lose that reputation. With one last turn at the entrance to his new home, and a loud ‘thank you very much’ for all those outside to hear, he stepped inside. The silence which hit as the door closed behind him felt like a harsh shove back into reality.

The bright smile of his personal assistant Liam, was a welcoming contrast. He shrugged aside any formalities and pulled him in for a tight hug.

‘Liam, the very person I would not be able to live without, am I glad to see you.’ He admitted, nerves getting the better of him. ‘It’s all a bit overwhelming right now isn’t it?’

 ‘Just a little bit yeah. But nothing you can’t handle Sir.’

‘I thought we discussed the whole “sir” thing before?’ Louis raised an eyebrow at him, ‘Makes me feel like some ancient sod with nothing better to do than drink whiskey all day and boss people around whilst I lay back in a leather chair.’

‘Sorry, I know it’s just, that was before you actually became Prime Minister and I thought maybe-‘

‘Still Louis, if you don’t mind?’

‘Louis it is.’ Liam answered with a pleased smile. ‘So, Louis, would you like me to introduce you to your household staff?’

‘Love to,’ he returned the smile before adding, ‘though that does make me seem somewhat hypocritical on the whole “boss people around” topic.’

Liam chuckled, ‘Maybe just a bit. But most of them know what their tasks are, so you won’t need to boss them around too much if that helps.’

‘Great thanks that makes me feel a million times better.’

He followed Liam through into the next corridor where a row of people stood lined up ready to meet him. The interior of the place itself had him in awe. Downing Street had the image of being relatively modest from the outside, yet when you walked in it felt like entering a palace of sorts. High ceilings loomed above him, with crème coloured walls and portraits of his predecessors framed in gold.

Liam placed a gentle hand on his back as he directed Louis towards the first of his apparently large, household staff. He took the time to get a proper introduction from each of them. If these people were going to be catering to his every need, the least he could do is get to know their names and general backstory. He laughed when Bernard, his new chauffeur, said that it was the first time they had a Prime Minister with a French name enter the walls of Downing Street.

‘I hope we’ll get on well nonetheless.’ Louis added with humour. Perfectly aware of the fact that his name was not the only characteristic that differentiated him from previous leaders of this country. That he was actually the first Prime Minister to be out and proud. Despite how much it meant to him and hopefully to many of those like him, it was not something he had focused on in his election campaign. Determined to make it a norm and not a reason for him to be perceived any differently from the other candidates. In the end it was his policies and the ability to implement them, which mattered.

‘I’m sure we will.’ Bernard answered happily, with a slight bow of the head.

Louis patted him on the shoulder gratefully before moving along the line to meet the others. Minutes later he had shaken five hands and memorised five new names. In usual circumstances that wouldn’t be difficult, but the length of his day was beginning to take its toll and he fought to keep away the headache that was building itself in the back of his mind.

‘This is Doris, she’s the head housekeeper.’ Liam introduced the short, slightly elder lady in front of him.

Louis nodded at her and tried to put on as friendly a conversation as possible. He succeeded, going by the warm smile she gave him in return before he moved along.

‘And last but not least, this is Harry, your catering manager.’

‘Harry.’ Louis heard his own voice, a few notches higher than it usually would be as he tried to not let his mouth drop at the sight of the man in front of him. ‘Lovely to meet you.’

He was pretty sure Liam had somehow managed to hire the most attractive catering manager out there. Harry had long legs in tight black trousers and a strong frame which carried a silk white shirt. His face was perfectly defined, with a sharp jawline and deep green eyes. Yet he also had a certain softness about him, through the long curls that tumbled down to his shoulders and the dimples which appeared on his cheeks as he gave a polite smile.

‘Pleasure to be working for you Louis.’ Harry spoke happily. His eyes widened and he shook his head violently the moment it was out, clearly shocked at what he had just done. ‘I mean, _Sir_. It is a pleasure to be working for you _Sir._ I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that, it just kind of happened. Sorry, I-’

‘No worries Harry,’ Louis shrugged it off with a laugh. ‘If I can call you by your first name, I see no reason why it shouldn’t be the same the other way around. Right?’

‘I guess? I can’t believe I just did that though. Thank you. Very much, for not firing me on the spot.’ Harry replied with a tone of relief. ‘I did have a premonition I was going to fuck up on my first day.’

Louis couldn’t help the slight shock that must have crossed his features at that. Harry slapped a hand across his mouth in horror.

‘Oh shit. I mean – sugar! I mean, I can’t believe I just swore, twice even, I can’t apologise enough-’

Unable to hold in the laughter, Louis just burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of how flustered Harry was getting over his accidental cursing. When he was finally able to control himself a little, he found Harry watching him with a confused expression, uncertain as to whether it would be inappropriate for him to now find the situation funny as well.

‘Sorry Harry, I’m not laughing at you. Well maybe just a little,’ he added jokingly, ‘I have to say your way of introduction is original.’

‘And there’s no excuse for it. I guess I’m just really nervous, which I should probably not be admitting….’ He drifted off, as if anything he said now couldn’t possibly save the day anyway.

‘There’s really nothing to excuse. If anything, thanks for making me laugh at the end of what I’d call a pretty fucking stressful day.’

If it was possible, Louis had managed to only make Harry look more shocked. His doe-like eyes stared at Louis as if he had just announced he wanted to have his first shadow cabinet meeting naked. His lips twitched as if he wanted to say more, but seemed to think it best not to. After a few moments of lingering silence, Louis realised he was once again quite obviously gawking at Harry’s beauty.

‘Well, I best be getting on with it. There’s probably a stack of papers in my office that I should have read and signed by now. I’ll see you around Harold.’

The dimpled grin returned to Harry’s face at that, and Louis had the inexplicable urge to plant a kiss on each of them.

‘Right, of course. Good luck with it. Not that you need luck of course. And sorry, again…’

‘Please don’t apologise,’ Louis looked up at him through his eyelashes as he turned to leave, ‘I liked it.’

Liam saw that as his cue to continue with the tour as he guided Louis away, giving Harry a nod goodbye.

‘Through here you’ll find your office. The furnishings can be altered if you’re not be happy with them. Just say the word. Also, both Doris and Harry are only a buzzer away should you require any refreshments etc. whilst working.’ he rambled on and Louis willed his mind to concentrate on what was important.

His office was at the end of what was probably the longest corridor Louis had ever seen. Liam gave him a few last words of wisdom before leaving him alone at the threshold of the room. He stepped inside and turned to close the door behind him. In the distance he could make out the lean figure of Harry, being patted by the shorter figure of Doris in a consoling manner. He smiled to himself fondly. Harry had no reason to be worried about what had just happened.

Louis, on the other hand. Well he wasn’t so sure he could say the same for himself. With the door shut, finally alone, he let his head falls against the solid wood.  

‘Shit.’

Of all thoughts he had expected to have on his mind on the first day as Prime Minister, his catering manager had not been one of them.

 

Two weeks later and it turns out that his catering manager was still very much on Louis’ mind. He had spent the first week of his term travelling extensively, making it a priority to get to know the many leaders across the world with whom he would be working. The first of his journeys had primarily been to the EU, in an attempt to reassure Germany and France alike, of the United Kingdom’s continued commitment to the European Union. On his return he was already feeling relatively successful and optimistic about the future. The past week however, had been somewhat more contentious. Primarily due to the President’s visit coming up. It involved a lot of planning, and what politicians liked to call ‘heated debates’ - which essentially meant they’d yap at each other like rabid dogs to bring their points across, without much compromise in sight. He felt himself torn between his Party’s desire for him to take a firmer approach with America, and the knowledge that there was a reason why all previous Prime Ministers had been accommodating to the leader from across the pond.

Yet somehow, with all this going on, the greatest conflict he faced was the daily struggle of being within Harry’s proximity and not ever being able to talk to him. Whenever he’d ask for a tea from his office, he felt his heart stop a little when it was Harry who walked in and not Doris. Not that he didn’t like Doris, but Harry. Well, Harry was all gentle smiles, soft curls and delicate footfalls on the carpet as he walked around in those shiny boots. Louis tried to convince himself that this way it was probably for the best. He was meant to be running the country after all, not making his staff uncomfortable. Harry was probably straight for all he knew. That fact just seemed to escape him in certain moments. Similarly, the ability to function like a normal human being whenever Harry was around seemed to escape him as well. Which meant that instead, Louis would behave like the most awkward person to have ever existed.

It would seem that today was no different. He put the phone down, after what had actually been a productive discussion with Jade, his Chancellor of the Exchequer. They knew each other from school and Louis was glad to have given the position to someone whose intelligence he could trust. He tipped his head back in his chair and breathed out heavily. His finger instinctively hit the intercom button.

‘Can I have a cuppa when you get a moment, please.’

He then immediately returned his attention to a stack of documents on his right. They needed to be read and approved by lunchtime today, if he wanted the subject taken to the House of Commons for debate by tomorrow. With any luck he could reinstate the funds that had been taken from the education and health sectors by the last government. A topic that was very much at the top of his agenda. Just as he was mulling over the figures he had been presented with, the door opened. In walked Harry, with a tray that held a steaming mug of tea and a couple of biscuits.

‘Your tea.’ He announced himself with a smile and placed it gently on Louis’ desk. ‘I know you didn’t ask for biscuits but I figured, who doesn’t want biscuits? Also, I’ve given you the good ones. If any of the others ask, you only ever get Digestives as well.’

Louis looked down at the plate that had biscuits ranging from ginger-nut, to chocolate bourbons and custard creams.

‘As it should be.’ He joked with a wink.

Shit, did he just wink? Oh God. He ducked his head, pretending to find something amongst his many papers, to hide the embarrassment.

Harry gave a low chuckle which Louis assumed was out of sympathy more than anything else.

‘If that’s everything, I’ll get back to ensuring your lunch is made then.’

‘Yep, be on your way Harold.’ He was going to leave it at that, but prompted by genuine curiosity felt the need to ask. ‘Wait, what am I getting today then?’

‘Uhm,’ he hesitated a little and tucked his curls behind his ear. ‘Steak and kidney pie? I got the impression that’s a favourite of yours… so I thought that would be good.’

Louis’ face must have lit up like a candle at that because Harry simply grinned back before saying, ‘I’ll take that as a yes.’

‘It’s not a bad choice of meal.’ Louis tried to answer casually. ‘Wait, what made you think it’s favourite of mine?’

‘When we had it made for your dinner with Sir Whitehall last week, I couldn’t help noticing that you practically licked the plate clean.’

‘I- I did not _lick_ the plate clean! I’m the Prime Minister, I simply _enjoyed_ my dinner!’ Louis tried to argue as indignantly as he could, whilst his expression must have screamed the fond he was the feeling at the man who was currently mocking him.

‘Yes, Prime Minister. Whatever you say.’

Louis rolled his eyes at the reference. Trust Harry, of all people, to quote a 1980s sitcom.

Harry simply let out a cackle and gave a small wave, before closing the door behind him. After having stared at the spot where he had been for a few seconds, Louis let his head fall carelessly onto the desk. He banged it repeatedly a few times for good measure.

‘I’m pathetic.’ He mumbled to himself.

His self-pity session didn’t last too long, before it was interrupted by the distant sound of his private phone’s ringtone. He rummaged hastily through the briefcase stowed beneath his desk. No one ever really called his private phone, he was surprised he even had it on him.

‘Y-hello.’ He answered immediately, lucky enough to have caught the call on its final ring.

‘Louis! Hey, you actually picked up!’

‘Perrie?’ He asked, slightly confused. He hadn’t spoken to his sister for a few weeks, what reason could she possibly have for calling him now? In the same moment in which that thought occurred to him, he realised it might be the very reason why she was calling.

‘Oh good, you still recognise your family’s voice at least. That’s something.’ She remarked sarcastically.

‘Sorry, sorry. You’re right. How have you been?’ He asked, genuinely interested.

‘I’ve actually been great thanks. You?’

‘Can’t complain.’ Louis replied happily.

‘’Course you can’t, you’re a Prime Minister after all.’ She quipped, ‘and I will let you get back to your job in a second, don’t worry. I just have a quick question.’

‘Which is?’

Perrie seemed to take a few seconds to decide how to best phrase her next sentence. ‘You’ll make it to Lilly’s school Christmas production this year won’t you? She really wants you to be there! Zayn and I are really running out of excuses why “cool uncle Louis” won’t make it.’

‘Oh, goodness, right, Christmas is coming up.’ He’d been so caught up in work, that the festivities had somehow escaped him. ‘I mean I want to Perrie, really. But I don’t know if that’s a good idea. For some sleazy politician to show up, ruin it for the kids-’

‘You wouldn’t ruin it though! We can hide you, or you can disguise?’

Louis rubbed his forehead in frustration. Certain that neither of those options would work out well.

‘How is Zayn actually?’ He asked, hoping to change the subject. Surprisingly enough, it worked.

‘He’s good! You know,’ her voice became quieter despite her excitement. ‘I wasn’t going to mention this, but I happened to feel something in his coat pocket the other day and found the most beautiful golden necklace! I think he’s actually going to make an effort this Christmas.’

‘Wow, good on him. That sounds lovely, I’m really happy for you Perrie. You deserve to be spoiled.’

He felt a pang of envy. Certain that his own Christmas would be spent sifting through Christmas cards from employees who mainly hoped they’d get a raise if they sucked up a little. As if Perrie could hear his thoughts, the next question was one he preferred to avoid in life.

‘What about you? Anyone new in your life? You should be spoiled at Christmas too.’

Louis let out a humourless laugh. ‘I have a meeting with the First Minister of Scotland tomorrow? Reckon we might get on. Could eat some haggis together.’

She seemed to find that funnier than he’d expected, and he enjoyed listening to his sister’s uncontrolled fit of giggles for a while.

‘Sorry to do this, it’s been great talking to you, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to get back to work now.’ He told her, anxiously aware of the ticking grandfather clock to his left.

‘Yeah, alright.’ She answered understandingly. ‘Just, think about the school play please. Take care Lou.’

‘I will,’ he replied, though deep down he knew how unlikely it was. ‘You take care too, bye.’

 

Perrie put her phone away with a sigh. She knew her brother well enough to realise his promise to “think about it”, was just out of a need to satisfy her - rather than any real intention to go. She could even understand why it might not be the best idea for the Prime Minister to show up at the local primary school. But that didn’t stop Lilly from constantly asking, and Perrie wanted him there too. Maybe just because she felt the need to bring some normality back into his life.

She knocked a few times on Niall’s front door before hastily shoving her hands back into her coat pockets. It was absolutely freezing outside and there wasn't even any snow to compensate for it. Just icy winds that made her nose feel numb.

When it opened, she looked up to find Niall looking a bit of a mess, with tear stained cheeks and unkempt hair.  

‘Niall, hey,’ She regarded him with care, ‘how have you been doing?’

‘Oh you know,’ he waved a hand in front of him as if to be casual. ‘I suppose, I’ve been better.’

Perrie nodded understandingly. His wife had just died after all, and left him with a step-son to take care of. Not that that was an issue for Niall, he treated little Sam as if he was his own. But from what she had gathered over the phone, they weren’t communicating so well as of late.

‘Let’s go inside shall we? I’ll put the kettle on and we can have a chat.’

Niall nodded gratefully and stepped aside to make way for her. ‘Yeah, sounds like a plan, thanks.’

 

A few days later and Louis found himself only more captivated by Harry. They had started having small conversations every now and then. Nothing much, usually just exchanging a few comments which would always end in laughter. It soon became the highlight of his day. Every phone call, every document and every meeting, suddenly became far less tense for him. He could deal with the difficult people and situations he had to face easily, because the small interactions with Harry gave him the mental relief he needed to keep going.

Only, sometimes, those interactions weren’t possible. Today was one of those days. He had an all-day conference with the Cabinet to discuss what would be on the agenda for the President’s visit in the next week. It was probably the most unsuccessful meeting Louis had experienced in his time as Prime Minister. If he had the choice, he would have just ended it after the first 2 hours were over. Every person there seemed to only care about what they thought important and half of the suggestions made were just plain stupid. He wondered what on earth had convinced him to appoint some of these people to their positions.

‘Right, well we’ve all had the opportunity to say what we feel we needed to say now.’ He spoke hurriedly before the next argument would kick off. ‘But this isn’t getting us anywhere. Let’s deal with this one step at a time.’

‘We need to be clear on what kind of approach we’re going to have towards the President, before we can decide on which topics to prioritise for the discussion.’ Jade voiced from next to him.

‘I agree, but I also know how most of you feel about that.’

‘We need to be more firm. Show that we’re not just America’s puppet.’ Another one of his MPs, Colin, stated from across the table.

A murmur of agreement spread throughout the room, and Louis couldn’t help but be frustrated at the fact that they all seemed to agree on the one thing he was less certain of. He placed his hands together on the table in front of him, making sure to keep eye contact with all of them.

‘Listen. I’m not ignorant to what you are saying, but we have to keep in mind that America is the most powerful country in the world. Logically, it is better to stay on their good side.’

He could feel the tension that now hung in the air. It was obvious that if he weren’t the Prime Minister, most of them would have told him he was an idiot, or something along those lines. Great. This was clearly a decision that would not be reached with complete finality today.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, he looked around the room a little before probing, ‘Who do you have to screw around here to get some tea and a couple of biscuits?’

It worked, momentarily at least. All twenty MPs had a good little chuckle over his words and he was about to proceed further when, within a heartbeat, he regretted ever having opened his mouth. He couldn’t believe the timing. Of all people, Harry came in with a serving trolley which was stacked with biscuits as well as tea and coffee. Louis gulped. His eyes must have gone massive, as he just stared at Harry with shock.

‘Refreshments gentlemen?’

As a rule, politicians never turned down tea. The room immediately became a little more alive as they each busied themselves with what they wanted. Louis remained routed in his seat though. His gaze steady on Harry, who was dealing with the many requests. Eventually he must have felt Louis’ unwavering look, because as plates of biscuits were being passed down the table, he returned it. For a few seconds it seemed like they were in their own little world. Harry gave him a small grin that was almost a little shy. The corner of Louis’ own mouth automatically curled upwards in response. Harry was just so lovely and he seemed to bring some kind of sunshine into the room with him wherever he went. He hadn’t meant to phrase it the way he unintentionally had, in terms of ‘screwing’ anybody. But right now, he would very much like to pull Harry in by his curls and kiss those perfect lips.

Then someone (probably that bloody Colin) tapped Harry and asked ‘Any chance of a few more sugar cubes for my tea please?’ and the moment was gone.

Harry left the room minutes later and the conference continued where they left off. Only, it wasn’t really that terrible anymore.

 

 

The beige carpet of his office felt soft beneath Louis’ feet as he padded around it with bits of paper in his hand. If only he could work like this more often. After the Cabinet meeting had eventually ended at about seven in the afternoon, he realised his own working day was far from over. He wanted to go over the notes from the meeting again and try to get some sense of order out of what they had discussed. Not to mention the fact that Liam had taken a load of messages for him while he had been away which still needed attending to. The thought of returning to the office with his immaculate suit on and hair still styled into a quiff like a doll that couldn’t move properly, was unbearable though. He knew that at this time only Doris would still be around, working the late hours in case he needed something. So the logical decision had been to hurry upstairs, have a quick shower and change into the most comfortable clothing he owned. Not many people saw him this way but he figured Doris wouldn’t mind too much.

His working method had changed somewhat as well. Unwilling to sit cramped behind the desk again, he decided to sort his papers on the floor in front of it. There were now five piles ordered by their priority. He read over each document before placing it in either batch. They were all relevant to the President’s visit – a subject which he couldn’t seem to escape. He couldn’t help wondering whether the President put this much thought into her visit to the UK, probably not.

He dug his toes into the carpet and smiled at the feeling. Despite the fact that he was currently dealing with state business, he felt incredibly relaxed. It had been almost two hours since he’d began on this work and that weary feeling of productivity started settling in his mind. The kind of feeling which was pleasant because even though it was exhausting, it was also rewarding. There were just a few more loose ends he wanted to tie up before calling it a day.

A cup of tea could really help him in terms of motivation, he thought, as he looked at the button to the intercom. He’d never asked Doris for anything this late. It just felt odd bothering people to get him stuff at this kind of an hour, though Liam repeatedly insisted that they were paid well for it. He could get it himself… but what if he bumped into Doris whilst doing it? Would that be more awkward? Not to mention the fact that in the time it would take him to do that, he could have finished most of the work he needed to do here.

Slowly, he swallowed the guilt down and pushed the button. He could hear his mother’s voice in his head - _you lazy little shit._ She wasn’t wrong.

‘Hi, uhm, I hope this isn’t too much of a problem but I would murder for a cuppa right now please…’ He lingered on the end, wondering if he should apologise at the same time, but decided to leave it there.

Right, back to work. He pushed his glasses slightly higher up onto his nose as if it would make that statement seem more plausible. The final paper in his hand was proving to be a problem. He’d hoped to mention his plans for environmental policies to the President and whether they could encourage it at the next G20 summit. But the Cabinet had been torn as to whether it was really a priority right now. He bit his lip as he contemplated what to do. A longer strand of his fringe that he’d been meaning to have cut, fell into his eyes and he pushed it back with a sigh. In the end, he had to accept his Party’s point. The agenda for the visit was already pretty huge. He wondered whether he should also reconsider his position over the whole ‘taking a firmer stance’ issue. Was he being a coward? He wanted to do what was right and best for Britain.

He suddenly heard a slight rattle of a teacup balancing on its saucer, and looked up in surprise.

‘Harry?’ He blurted out, confused and very aware of his dishevelled appearance.

A part of him wanted to quickly hide behind the desk. Of all of his employees, Harry was the last who was meant to see him like this. Not that he was trying to impress Harry or anything… he just didn’t want to, not impress him. He shook his head internally. When did his brain become such a mess?

‘You, uhm, asked for tea?’ Harry seemed to be struggling to put his own sentence together. His eyes darted from the papers on the floor, to Louis’ bare feet and up to his startled face.

‘Yes. Yes, I did.’ Louis replied, searching for some firm ground to continue the conversation with.

Harry nodded and walked carefully around the papers to place his tea on the desk. He kept his eyes trained downwards and if Louis wasn’t mistaken, had even gone a little red. It was a bit, well, odd. Obviously it was unlikely that many Prime Ministers had been caught working like this, but Louis wasn’t a robot either. He wondered dubiously whether he should be offended by the reaction.

‘Sorry to have bothered you with this so late. I promise it won’t become a regular occurrence.’ Louis explained whilst trying to get a normal response out of Harry again. ‘I actually thought it was only Doris who would still be here… You usually finish earlier don’t you?’

‘Yeah,’ Harry replied and turned to face Louis properly with a hint of a smile on his face. ‘Usually I finish once your dinner is on the table. But Doris had a bit of a headache earlier so I said I’d stay instead.’

‘Oh god I’m sorry, you should have said something.’ Louis protested with concern, ‘If I’d known, something else could have been arranged or I could have just managed for myself one evening.’

‘No, it’s no problem really. I’m getting paid for it after all. Not that I would mind anyway…’ Harry answered, seemingly at ease again by now.

‘Well if that’s the case, all I can say is thank you, I guess.’ Louis spoke softly, hoping to communicate that he meant it.

Harry nodded appreciatively and studied Louis for a bit with a curious expression, ‘I didn’t know you wear glasses.’

‘Yes that’s because most people aren’t meant to know. Thankfully, contacts exist to create that illusion.’

Harry gave a chuckle in response before adding, ‘they suit you though.’

‘Flattery will get you nowhere Harold. Besides, you brought me tea at 9pm so you’re practically already employee of the month.’ Louis did his best to not give the compliment as much meaning as he’d like it to have.

‘Well, if that’s the case. I’ll just be off.’ He retorted whilst turning towards the door.

‘No, stay, please,’ Louis had no idea what possessed him. His mouth was not cooperating with his brain. ‘I could do with a break,’ (– not true, he needed to get on with his work) ‘plus we see each other almost every day, you know everything there is to know about me, but I don’t know a thing about you. That’s a bit shit really isn’t it?’

He was thankful to see a beacon of a smile on Harry’s face when he turned to face him. At least he wasn’t weirded out by Louis’ random need for attention.

‘First of all, I’m fairly certain there is plenty I still don’t know about you. Though today has given me a bit more of an insight.’ He raised an eyebrow curiously and cast his eyes downwards, ‘Why the bare feet? Surely the Prime Minister can afford slippers, or socks?’

Louis wrinkled his nose, ‘never been much of a sock person, more comfortable without.’

Harry shook his head mockingly before continuing. ‘And secondly, what would you want to know about me?’

‘I don’t know, anything,’ he ran the conventional questions through his head. ‘For instance, where do you live?’

‘Wandsworth. The dodgy end.’

‘Really? My sister lives in Wandsworth.’ He wondered whether Perrie had unknowingly bumped into Harry before. ‘Which exactly is the dodgy end?’

Harry’s lips curved into a smile, clearly amused by Louis’ cluelessness and attempts at conversation. ‘It’s right at the end of the high street, Harris Street, near the Queen's Head.’

He guessed Perrie had probably not bumped into him then. That was a slightly dodgy end and he liked to think his sister and her 3-year-old daughter did not go in that direction. He tried to throw the next question out as casually as possible.

‘And you live with your wife? Partner? Three illegitimate but charming children?’

The last query being a futile attempt at hiding his curiosity with humour. Harry laughed and licked his lips before he spoke, which did nothing to help Louis’ mental state.

‘No I actually just broke up with my boyfriend so I’m staying with my parents again for a while.’

 _Boyfriend._ Fuck. Louis had suspected it just a little but to have it confirmed sent a thrill through him. Wait, was this a good thing? He ordered himself to calm down. It didn’t mean that Harry would even be remotely interested in him.

‘I’m sorry, that you just split, I mean.’

‘Don’t be. I’m well shot of him. He said I wasn’t his type anymore’

‘I beg your pardon?’ Louis blinked in disbelief. Whoever this guy was, he had to be the dumbest person on the planet.

‘I think it was the long hair? He kept saying I should cut it…. And my somewhat unusual clothing choices.’

‘But, that’s what makes you unique! It’s special to you.’ Louis objected without thinking much.

Harry beamed at him in response, with dimples on full display. It was too damn adorable.

‘You know, uhm... being Prime Minister, I could just have him murdered.’ Louis suggested playfully, though in his mind the scenario didn’t seem all too unrealistic.

‘Thank you, Louis. I'll think about it.’

‘Do. The SAS are really quite charming. Ruthless, trained killers are just a phone call away.’

Once the laughter subsided, they simply looked at each other with mirrored grins for a few moments. The warm lighting in the room, combined with Harry’s presence, almost made Louis feel a tad woozy.

‘You know,’ Harry broke the silence first. ‘You’re pretty unique as well. Especially, considering what you’ve achieved and all.’

Louis felt his cheeks flush slightly, unsure as to what exactly Harry was referring to. He went with the most likely point and remarked ‘Well someone had to be the first gay Prime Minister I guess.’

‘No I actually meant for the fact that you’re so small. To still become a figure of authority, it’s really quite impressive.’ He clearly thought he was hilarious because the next second he was holding his chest with laughter. He took one look at Louis’ outraged face though, and held a hand out in defence. ‘Kidding, sorry, I’m just kidding!

‘Get out!’ Louis pointed to the door exaggeratedly, ‘Get out of my office you curly haired cunt!’

Harry’s laughter died out at that, his face turning into an exaggerated pout. It was absurd and Louis wondered why on earth he was endeared by it.

‘Hey, I thought you said you liked my hair.’ He said defensively, though Louis could hear the teasing beneath it.

‘Well, I take it back. That’s what you get for your heightism.’ Louis responded and made his way back to his desk in an attempt to maintain some air of professionalism.  Though he realised it was kind of obvious he had nothing to do at his desks. His papers were after all, currently organised on the carpet.

Harry smirked playfully, ‘I never said I didn’t like your height though.’

‘Of course you didn’t. You just implied it.’

Though height was a sensitive issue with Louis, he wasn’t really offended this once. It was just a little enjoyable to watch Harry try to redeem himself.  After the silence dragged on a little longer than he’d expected, it seemed Harry had given up. Louis opened his mouth to announce he would forgive him this once but was interrupted before he could speak.

‘I do like it though, I mean, as in, it’s uhm, kind of cute. If I can say that…’

Louis head shot up in surprise. Harry was standing with his feet together, hands fidgeting with each other in front of him and face a touch red. Usually, ‘cute’ was not something he’d take as a compliment. He was the Prime Minister after all, a position which required for him to be taken seriously. Something he ought to make clear.

‘Really?’ was all he said instead. Great. He was going to win an award for sappiest Prime Minister ever. ‘I mean,’ he coughed, ‘thanks I guess. Not gonna lie, that’s something I would usually refute but it’s better than your previous comment so I’ll take it.’

Harry nodded in response and a timid smile played on his lips. Uncertain as to how much he should read into the situation, Louis simply returned the gesture. The President’s visit suddenly seemed far more decipherable to him in comparison to the interaction he was currently having.

‘Well I best get going. My mum’s probably wondering where I am.’ Harry spoke up as he headed towards the door, then hesitated. ‘As in, in a caring way, not controlling or anything. Just cause I’m staying with them at the moment, like I’m independent, and all that-’

‘I don’t doubt that you are Harold.’ Louis replied. For the first time in all of their interactions he wasn’t being the awkward one. It was odd.

‘Right yeah sorry, I ramble sometimes.’ Harry’s self-assurance seemed to slowly come back to him. ‘Anyway, until tomorrow then.’

‘Yep, see you tomorrow. Night Harry.’ 

‘Goodnight Louis.’ He spoke gently before gently closing the door behind him.

The room was strangely quiet when he left. Louis stared at the work he had left to do, stacks of paper like hurdles to get over before he could also end the day. The clock next to him ticked obnoxiously as if to remind him of the time he had wasted.

‘Fucking President.’ He muttered. Though his mind was currently a million miles away and in his stomach he could feel the fluttering of butterflies he’d always read about, but never really believed in.

 

 

 _Fucking President_ , Louis thought again. Though this time he didn’t say it out loud. Primarily because she was sitting in front of him, with her legs crossed over, impatiently rocking her 3-inch red heel in the air and looking down at him over her glasses.

‘I’m so glad we see eye-to-eye on the matter.’ A grin so false was plastered onto her face as if it were being pulled up by a fishing hook on either side.

Actually, we don’t see _eye-to-fucking-eye_ on the matter Louis snapped in his head. He had just spent the past half hour trying to explain why his party believed it would not be in Britain’s interest to do exactly that which the President seemed to think is already a done deal.

He could feel the hostility practically seeping from his colleagues and felt their occasional glances in his own direction to check whether he intended to do anything about it.  He suppressed the slight lurch of nerves in his gut. The problem being that, he really did want to do something about it. In fact, President Caroline Ford, had somehow managed to make him feel repulsed by her presence within the first fifteen minutes of having met her.

From the moment she had practically thrown her jacket at Doris to hang up, to the flippant remark she made at what a shame it was he didn’t have a wife for her to “befriend”, to the shameless onceover she had given Harry when they past him in the corridor.

_‘My goodness, that’s a pretty little son of a bitch. Did you see those pipes?’_

Louis had no idea who even speaks like that. Let alone towards another human being. Particularly a human being as wonderful and lovable as Harry. All he could remember is barely being able to pull himself together and murmuring something close to, ‘Yeah, he’s terrific… at his job.’

He brought himself back to the present hastily. His eyes narrowing in on the President in a manner which caused her to still her foot’s swaying. The tone of his voice remained as polite as ever when he spoke.

‘I’m sorry, perhaps I did not make my position very clear. We cannot, and will not, consult on that.’

‘I don’t think you understand. None of this should be unexpected for you. It was agreed upon by the last administration and we are just being consistent with their policies.’

‘But, with all respect, they were bad policies.’ Jade interjected.

Louis couldn’t help but admire her bluntness. Simple, but effective.

Unfortunately, Ford chose to not hear the comment. Instead Louis was forced to listen to her explain why these were policies which had already been decided on, talking in endless circles with words that didn’t actually contain any substantiation.

Eventually, he felt himself accept that he was talking to a soundproof wall. His disappointment with himself was tenfold that of everyone else in the room as he surrendered to it.

‘Right, well, I don’t think we’re making any progress here. Erm… Let’s move on to the next topic for now, shall we?’

Shoulders slumped all around his side of the room and the confidence which he had been carrying in him until now, along with them.

 

‘Well now, that was an interesting day.’ Ford stated as she lifted a glass of Scotch to her nose. She sniffed at it deftly.

It was evening already but Louis was still forced to spend a few extra hours with her in a private meeting. The fire of 10 Downing Street’s sitting room crackled away in the corner of the room in an attempt to soften his now pent up frustration. He gave Larry, the Downing Street cat (the ‘Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office’) a quick stroke, whilst simultaneously sending him the evils for nicking the spot on the sofa closest to the fire.

‘You could call it that.’ The dry taste of the whiskey in his mouth coincided happily with his sentiments.

‘I'm sorry if our line was firm - there's no point tiptoeing around today, and then just disappointing you for four years. I have plans and I plan to see them through.’

Louis ran a hand through his hair, causing a few strands to fall free. He knew his overall performance today had been a failure. If he was going to salvage it somehow, it would be by getting a compromise on at least one matter he had saved for the end of the day.

‘Absolutely. Just doing your job, as we all are.’ He replied and stood up before continuing. ‘There is one final thing I think we should look at - very close to my heart.  If you could just give me a second, I’ll go grab the file.’

‘I'll give you anything you ask for. As long as it's not something I don't wanna give.’ He heard the President call after him as he made his way towards his office.  

 _Bloody charming._ Though before he could launch into a mental debate as to why he ever thought having this job would be a good idea, Harry appeared from around the corner.

‘Louis.’ He greeted him with the usual warmth only those eyes could communicate. Only it was soon followed by a slightly furrowed brow as he took in what must have been an exceptionally pathetic-looking Prime Minister. ‘Everything alright?’

Louis felt his face heat up at having anyone witness him in a moment of weakness.

‘Everything’s terrific.’ He replied, keeping his eyes trained downwards as he passed Harry whilst trying to ignore the way his heartrate had suddenly increased within the five seconds of his appearance.

It didn’t take long to grab the file but he hesitated on the way out and let his head fall gently against the office door. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. He felt his diaphragm relax and slowly counted to ten. You can do this, he told himself determinedly.

 

Except, he couldn’t do it. Not when he walked back into the room, caught mid-sentence by the sight which affronted him.

Harry. Harry at Caroline Ford’s side. One of her fingers were twirling a curl of his hair whilst she spoke in his ear. She didn’t stop when Louis’ presence became noticeable. Only looked at him with a sly smile as she spoke.

‘This is some great Scotch.’

Harry coughed before she could say any more. He stepped back abruptly and busied himself suddenly with clearing up the tray on the table, his hands shaking as he hurried to get the task done.

Louis was silent. He sensed the coldness in his own eyes as they remained focused on Ford. Felt them glaze over with the iciness of his indisputable jealousy.

‘I’ll erm, be going then.’ Harry almost whispered, the delicateness of his voice struck Louis like a gentle breeze that reminded him of what was really important.

‘Right, good night Harry.’ He managed to speak.

‘Harry,’ the President stopped him before he could leave, ‘I hope to see much more of you as our countries work toward a better future.’

An awkward silence lingered in the air before Harry replied, ‘Thank you, Mam.’ And left without a single glance back.

 

 

When he decided to run for Party leader, and eventually Prime Minister, Louis had always known that there was one part of the job which would be particularly challenging for him. The persistent clicking of camera shutters and bursts of light with undertones of curious murmurs and questions. He knew the Press were vital to everything he did, but each time he was forced to confront them a state of dread and impatience framed his mind. This time it was no different. It was only worse. He could see the President nearby, standing next to a taller lady with short hair who seemed to be advising Ford on the most important topics of her speech.

Liam had only just been doing the same for him, explaining how the intention of it is to bring across a message of “solidarity” and “these two great countries developing together” and whatever else they could make up to satisfy the President. The papers in his hand were essentially a well-written bundle of lies. He took a few deep breathes. The fact that he was already feeling this pressured in such early days of this role, was not a good sign. How had this woman he’d never even met before managed to, in only a few days, get to him like this? The image of her lurking at Harry’s ear flashed through his mind again as a silent response. He loosened his tie to ease the suffocating feeling in his mind.

‘Hey, what do you think you’re doing?’ Liam’s voice appeared from nowhere judgingly. ‘You can tie that right back up again; the press conference starts in under 5 minutes.’

Louis barely managed a polite smile as he begrudgingly corrected the tie again.

The strict expression Liam had been carrying immediately fell to one of concern. ‘You ok?’

‘I’m fine, thank you…’ He replied automatically, then thought about it for a few seconds. ‘Liam, do you think we’re doing the right thing? To cave from the beginning.’

He looked downwards and hesitated before answering, ‘I’m afraid it really isn’t my place to tell you that.’

‘If it isn’t your place, then whose is it?’ Louis questioned with surprise. ‘There isn’t anyone else in this whole country whose advise I fully trust more than yours.’

Liam reacted by blinking at him a few times in shock.

‘I’m sorry, I never made that clear?’ Louis wanted to flush himself down a toilet. Not only was he currently being a pushover for a Prime Minister, but also apparently a terrible employer. He couldn’t even make it clear to the few people he perceived as something close to friends, that they were valued.

‘No, no- of course you did! You always do,’ he blundered in protest, ‘I’ve just never had a boss, or anyone apart from my mum perhaps, compliment me so directly.’

‘Oh, ok-‘ Louis wasn’t sure what to say, and the opportunity to think of something was taken from him by the announcement that the press conference was beginning.

‘It’s not how I know you to be,’ Liam hurriedly told him as Louis began to walk away, ‘-to cave in, I mean. My advice would be, to do that which you always have done.’

 

The President finished her speech with both hands place on the podium in front of her. Her straight posture gave the very air of strength and achievement which her words had sought to create.

‘This has been a very satisfactory visit. We got what we came for and our special relationship is still very special.’

Louis stood next to her at his own podium, silently watching as the many reporters took notes and struggled to make themselves visible for questions. A thought had been building in his mind ever since Liam had called those words after him. It stirred within him. The feeling of being able to strike a match, knowing what the risk would be yet wanting to do it nonetheless. He looked across the crowd, the press occupied the front rows and his party the back.

It was then that he saw Harry. He was standing right by the door, with one hand tugging absentmindedly on his lips and his eyes focused intently on Louis. He seemed stressed, as if he were restraining himself from announcing something to the whole of the room. Guilt coursed through Louis at the sight. Thanks to his lack of professionalism, Harry had now somehow been made uncomfortable by two world leaders. Their eyes registered each other for a moment, and Louis tried to communicate a heartfelt apology before tearing them away.

‘Prime Minister?’ A questioning voice from a journalist near the front echoed.

With the determination which was familiar to him, Louis coughed to clear his throat and turned over the pages of his speech so that all that was before him was a blank page.

‘I love that word "relationship". Covers all manner of sins, doesn't it?’ He began. ‘I fear that this has become a bad relationship. A relationship based on the President taking what she wants and casually ignoring all those things that really matter to, erm...’ He willed his brain to still reign his heart in enough to not make a fool of himself, ‘to Britain.’

‘We may be a small country but we're a great one, too. The country of Shakespeare, Churchill, the Beatles, Sean Connery, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter. David Beckham's right foot. David Beckham's left foot, come to that. And a friend who bullies us is no longer a friend. And since bullies only respond to strength, from now onward, I will be prepared to be much stronger. And the President should be prepared for that.’

The press exploded the moment his last syllable left his tongue. Microphones were thrust in the air and demanding voices blotted each other out. A joyful haziness came over him. Not that he let it show. He maintained a calm exterior, allowed it to serve as a contrast to the chaos now occurring around him. The President stood rooted in her spot, unable to find words which would quieten those being hurled at her. Eventually, her PA came up and stole her from the platform. Louis followed suit a moment later. Before he could take a private moment to fully contemplate what he had just done, Liam’s voice yelled gleefully at him-

‘FUCK YES! That’s what I’m talking about! Prime Minister Tomlinson telling America where to shove it!’

 

From then onwards the reaction only escalated. Drinks were being toasted by everyone, from those who had decided to celebrate at Downing Street, to every household across Britain it seemed. In the midst of the excitement, Louis’ own mood was being dragged down by the shadow of a decision he knew he had to make. It felt like he was betraying himself in part. To be anything but ecstatic after what was the most impactful day of his political career so far. Only, in the past few weeks, certain “factors”, had made his priorities go a little wayward. For both his, and Harry’s sake, he knew it was best to return to normalcy. To make sure that he would no longer be distracted.

The champagne he sipped left a bittersweet sensation on his tongue as he fought to not let his sunken spirits show.

‘It’s your sister on line 4.’ Liam spoke as he handed a phone in Louis’ direction.

He took the phone off him but pulled back Liam’s arm a little to indicate he still needed to talk to him.

‘All right. Er, yes, I'm very busy and important, how can I help you?’ Louis gloated mockingly into the receiver.

‘Have you gone completely insane?’ Perrie’s voice shouted at him from the other end.

‘You can't be sensible all the time.’

‘You can. if you're Prime Minister.’

He was about to go on that he must be the exception then, but stopped when he noticed Liam turning away to politely leave them to it. Usually that would have been acceptable, only right now Louis needed to get something behind him before he could change his mind.

‘I’ve got to go, it's the Chancellor on the other line.’ He shamefully lied to his sister as he chased after Liam.

‘It isn't!’

‘I'll call you back.’

‘No, you won't!’ She argued back all-knowing, yet hung up nonetheless.

 

That settled, he pushed his way through the crowds of people that had gathered in his house, all of which decided to stop and shake his hand with congratulations. After what seemed like an eternity of forced small talk and fake laughter, he finally reached Liam and tapped him on the shoulder, ‘A quick word, please?’

Liam nodded immediately and followed him out of the main reception area. They slipped away, down the corridor until they reached his office and let the door close them off from the commotion on the other side. For a few moments, neither said anything as Louis approached his desk and rested himself against it to face Liam. No point in beating around the bush he decided.

‘Ah... Need you to do a favour for me.’

‘Of course. Anything for the hero of the hour.’

‘Don't ask me why, and don't read stuff into this, it's just a weird personality thing. But, erm, you know Harry who works here?’

Liam’s face reacted as most people who know Harry would ‘Of course I do! Love him, great guy. Makes the most amazing steak and kidney pie. Not that I- eat your dinner, obviously, he just makes extras sometimes-‘

‘Yeah. Well, whatever, erm... I'm sure he’s lovely but I wonder if you could, erm... redistribute him?’ Louis forced the words out, this time not looking directly at Liam as he made the request. ‘With a glowing reference of course, he’s great at what he does. Just maybe, he could do it, somewhere else?’

‘It's done.’

Louis breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. He had done it. Relief was followed by a sting of regret which he gulped down reluctantly. ‘Right let’s get back to the celebrations then.’

He looked up to find Liam smirking at him, an expression of knowing all too much.

‘What?’

‘Nothing just,’ he deliberated, clearly aware that he probably shouldn’t be saying what he was about to say. ‘Apparently it hits us all in the end.’

Louis gaped at him a little. ‘I have no idea what you’re on about.’

‘Of course not.’ Liam retorted with an exaggerated wink.

‘Well you’ve come out of your bloody shell haven’t you.’ Louis said, stunned by the cheek he was currently getting from his once loyal PA. ‘Sorry to disappoint but there is nothing hitting anyone in this case.’

‘If you say so,’ Liam clearly felt only encouraged by Louis’ unconvincing denial. ‘Then why is this is the first time I have seen you get bothered by something that isn’t your work?’

Louis observed him with curious eyes as he took in the comment. Why did it feel as if Liam had just read him better than he ever had himself? It was all too much to consider. He couldn’t do it, not right now. He shook it off, desperate for another glass of champagne that could take over his thoughts for the rest of the evening.

‘Watch it Payne. Just because I said I value your advice doesn’t mean I’m above teaching you a lesson.’ He followed his words with a mischievous smile. ‘For example, what was that you said just now about eating from my kitchen?’

‘That was nothing- I mean- technically, I didn’t eat-‘ he hesitated, his mouth flicking through various words whilst trying to decide on what to actually say. Eventually he caught on and decided it was best to shut up. He simply nodded at Louis with an understanding smile before exiting the way they had come.

 

That evening as Louis sat on his bed with the radio playing in the background, his conflicting emotions were broken through by the DJ’s cheerful announcement.

“'It's almost enough to make you feel patriotic, so here's one for our arse-kicking prime minister. I think he'll enjoy this.”

The _Pointer Sisters_ followed on cue with ‘Jump’, and if he found himself dancing to it around 10 Downing street that night, there was no need for anyone else to know.

 

 

It had been exactly sixteen days since Louis had publically challenged the President of the United States. But more importantly, it had been sixteen days since he’d had Harry ‘redistributed’ from his position as Louis’ catering manager. Sixteen long days without his passing jokes, clumsy smiles and reassuring presence. Louis felt sick to the stomach at the thought of some other political snob getting to see Harry every day like he used to. It was absurd of course. He was the one who had asked for it to be this way. Yet somehow Harry’s absence had only made him more distracted. The more he tried to escape the situation with Harry, the more it felt as if he was working on a puzzle in which none of the pieces would fit. It was maddening.

He took a sip from the tea his new catering manager had brought for him. The new guy was ok as a whole, but Louis couldn’t help feeling that he could lighten up a little. There wasn’t much mental relief in being given tea by a guy who looked like he permanently wanted to drown himself in it. Not that being happy had been part of his job description to be fair. Louis had just become used to, well, different.

He dunked one of his Digestive biscuits in the mug, watched as it quickly soaked up the liquid to become a darker shade of brown and plopped it in his mouth. He longed for the bourbons or custard creams he had once been spoiled with. Everything just seemed so mediocre in contrast to what it had once been.

The familiar ringing of his work phone pulled him out of his pitiful thoughts. He shook himself briefly before answering and put his usual ‘professional’ voice on.

‘Tomlinson.’

‘Hey, it’s me Liam.’ He answered with the sound of traffic playing in the background. ‘Just a heads up. I’ve been to see Michael and it turns out several more meetings have been planned into your trip, both in Brussels and Copenhagen.’

‘Sounds good.’ He replied, ‘And the others?’

‘All confirmed.’ The beeping noise of a green traffic light interrupted him before he continued, ‘You’re hundred percent certain you want to do this now though? It wouldn’t be a problem to postpone until next year.’

‘Now’s as good a time as any.’ Louis replied confidently.

He’d decided to take the last week before Christmas to go abroad and meet with his global counterparts to discuss future plans for the new year ahead. The change of scenery would almost be entirely welcome for him were it not for the problematic topic of safety. Fortunately, within the EU it wasn’t too much of an issue. Only outside of it there were certain countries in which his presence was not entirely welcome. Funnily enough, not because of the country he was representing as had always been the case in history, but because of who he himself was. Nevertheless he had already decided that it wasn’t going to get in the way of him doing his job and so, Louis had no choice but to put his full trust into the safety network surrounding him. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t shitting himself a little though.

‘Ok well, see you tomorrow then.’ Liam concluded, clearly on board with the plan as well. ‘Your flight is at 8am, I’ve already entered all the details into your planner.’

‘Perfect thanks.’

Satisfied, he hung up and returned to the work in front of him. It would seem that he would have to learn to concentrate - even with the constant presence of Harry lingering in the crevices of his mind.

 

 

Droplets of water fell onto the kitchen floor as Harry lifted the final plate that needed drying. He gave it a quick once over, not caring much if it wasn’t his most thorough job ever, before storing it away where it belonged. Finally done, he wiped the back of his hand against his forehead with exhaustion. It turns out cooking and washing up for his family of ten people was more exhausting than any task he had ever undergone as a caterer. It was the least he could do though, considering his parents had taken him in again until he could find a place of his own.

When he had left those few years ago, he had not expected to end up back in his family house again. It was meant to have been the next chapter of his life, _their_ next chapter. Yet here he was. And everything from that time seemed entirely irrelevant now. So much had changed in only half a year. So much that he was eternally grateful for, and so much that he wished he could have done differently. The image of those beautiful eyes, ice blue with anger, flashed in his thoughts and tore him back to the memory. The reminder that he had been the cause of it.

Not for the first time in the past few days, he found himself burying his head in his hands. It was no use.

‘Harry love, are you done yet? Come have a sit down.’ His mum called from the living room with a mouth full of Pringles.

‘Yep, m’coming.’

His parents sat on the sofa with a glass of wine each and a tube of Pringles between them. The very image of comfort. He took a moment to appreciate it before flinging himself onto the spare one seater.

The TV was running with the News at eight which had become somewhat of a routine for his mum and dad. They claimed it made sure that they remained “up to date with what’s happening in the world”. He gave it only half of his attention, the other half was still clouded by thoughts he lately could never quite escape.

Only before he could even begin to mentally prepare himself, suddenly those thoughts materialised themselves in front of him. _Louis._ The very name and face he hadn’t dared to allow himself to think of now appeared on the screen. Harry couldn’t tear his eyes away. All efforts to get over him were immediately cast away and instead he drunk in the sight which he had been craving to see again. He observed every detail as Louis stopped to answer some questions: the way his eyes darted from the reporter back to the camera, how he held his head to indicate he was listening carefully, the way his lip twitched a little when he heard something that amused him, the way he kept his voice steady as he spoke – never letting them see anything other than a Prime Minister.

It was a heavy contrast to the person Harry knew he could be. To the person he was: with a raspy voice when he got a little tired, and a smile which would reach all the way to the crinkles in his eyes, to the way his hair would naturally fall softly against his forehead, and the tendency to lower his head if he felt that there was too much emotion written on his face. There was so much vulnerability behind the sturdy exterior the public had come to know. Harry thought he was incredible.

‘Would ya look at that for a security team,’ his mum suddenly remarked, ‘I would not want that swarm of bees around me all day.’

It was only then that Harry even noticed there were other people on the screen. Louis had finished answering questions and the camera zoomed out to show him enter a building with a team of Thor-like beings encircling him.

‘He hasn’t exactly got much choice has he? Not if he wants to get home in one piece.’ His dad replied whilst disappointingly observing his, now empty, wine glass. ‘I’m guessing it isn’t necessary for him to have that back home all the time, ey Harry?’

‘No… no it isn’t.’ Harry answered in wonder. It had never occurred to him; the persistent danger Louis had placed himself in. There were a lot of places and people in the world who would not be receptive of a Prime Minister who was anything but straight.

‘Oh my god.’ He breathed. _Louis_.

Would he be ok? The logical part of Harry’s brain tried to accept that of course he would be, it’s not like the British government treated the safety of its Prime Minister lightly. Yet an underlying current of panic set in him and he felt his heart pumping harder to try to keep up. What if something were to happen?

He couldn’t believe how stupid he had been. Louis was brave enough to go out and confront the world, whilst he didn’t even have the guts to confront one person. The one person he knew he had to tell the truth. It didn’t take him long to come up with a plan. Unfortunately, he couldn’t just track down the Prime Minister or break into Downing Street, nor did he want to make Louis uncomfortable in case what he had to say was unwelcome.

‘I’ve just gotta go do something.’ He explained to his parents as he got up and grabbed a pen on his way out of the room.

 

 

_“I feel it in my fingers. I feel it in my toes. Christmas is all around me, and so the feeling grows. It’s written in the wind, everywhere I go… So if you really love Christmas… Come on and let it snow…”_

The radio continued to inflict this year’s number one upon every unfortunate person who had decided to tune in on Christmas eve. Louis tried to block it out as much as possible. It wasn’t going to spoil this moment for him. The moment of freedom. His busiest week as Prime Minister was finally behind him and he was officially on leave for the next week. That meant seven days of no changing time zones, no meetings, no paperwork, no press, and no army of bodyguards hanging onto him like Velcro. He threw his head back and splayed his arms out on the most luxurious sofa number 10 had to offer.

Every concern and fear of his could temporarily be shoved into a draw at the very back of his mind. His only plan for the holidays was to do absolutely nothing. It sounded like paradise. Though perhaps he could book a weekend away. Just go to the middle of nowhere for a bit, rent a cottage in the highlands where he wouldn’t even get any reception and the only company he needed to entertain was the nearby herd of sheep. He picked on the edge of one of his pillows as he contemplated it. There was one part of the plan which he knew was provoking thoughts he cursed himself for having. Thoughts at how he would love to take a certain somebody else with him. That there was one person’s company he wouldn’t mind interrupting any solitary time for.

‘Shit.’ He exhaled. _Harry. Bloody, irritatingly wonderful, Harry._ Even half way across the world he couldn’t quite escape him. It was a true testament to Louis’ professionalism that he could discuss trade policies with the President of China whilst simultaneously wondering if he would ever get to see those curls again.

‘Damn it.’ He continued to curse as he freed himself from his tie and undid the top few buttons.

In search of a distraction, he let his eyes drift around the room. Larry sat by the fire contently licking his paws.

‘Having fun?’ Louis asked him pointedly.

He stopped mid-lick and gave Louis a stare that said, _Mind your own bloody business_.

Fair enough. He would have to accept the fact that even his cat had better things to do. The only other object to catch his eye was the load of gift bags standing on his sitting room table. Most of them appeared to be a wine of some sort, each wrapped elegantly with gold, red, or green ribbons. Next to them stood a box which he knew was filled with Christmas cards from various acquaintances and family members. So many of them had come through the post that Liam had decided to just put them all in one pile for Louis to decide what was important.

It might be somewhat lame that he was about to do exactly that which he had predicted he would be doing on Christmas, but oh well. He sat up and reached for the box, surprised by the amount it actually weighed. Never in his life had he received so many Christmas cards. The box was literally overflowing with them to the extent that he dropped a few without bothering to pick them up. He rummaged through the mountain of envelopes that fell into his hand, picking out ones at random to read.  

_Dear Sir, I feel it my duty to tell you what an honour it has been working for you-_

Urgh. Louis stopped reading immediately and shoved it to the bottom. Who the hell writes such slimy rubbish. He flicked through a load more of a similar nature. Some people hadn’t even bothered to write a message, just _Louis_ and _Love – [insert name]._ Still, it was better than those who did write words with no real meaning.

He began to wonder whether anyone had actually thought of him as a person when writing these cards. It was then that his fingers came across a dark green envelope with a simple _Louis_ written on the front. The handwriting seemed oddly familiar. He opened it carefully, uncertain as to what he was actually expecting. Painted on the front was a red robin, perched on a branch covered in snow and in its beak it held a little envelope sealed with a heart. It was oddly endearing.

_Dear sir… Dear Louis, 'Merry Christmas and I hope you have a very happy New Year. I'm very sorry about the thing that happened. It was a very odd moment and I feel like a prize idiot. I’ve realised though that life is too short to give up on something, on someone, so quickly. So I’ve decided it’s about time I told you, I don’t want to give up. Particularly because - if you can't say it at Christmas, when can you, eh? - I'm actually yours. With LOVE.  xxx Your Harry._

Louis leapt up from his seat and grabbed the phone in a heartbeat, “Liam, yeah, I need a car. Right now. Thank you.”

Without a moment’s hesitation he ran out the sitting room, down the corridor, and out the front door in what was probably a world record.

“I'd like to go to Wandsworth, the dodgy end.” He called to Bernard just as the car pulled up.

‘Very good, sir. Harris Street. What number, sir?’

‘Oh, I haven’t a clue.’ Louis realised just as he slammed the door shut behind him. ‘Doesn’t matter, we’ll figure that out when we get there.’

‘Very well Sir.’

 

Of course, Harris Street proved to be the longest street in the world. Louis stared out of his window in despair at the sight of an endless row of attached houses. Not to mention the fact that in true London style, a downpour of rain had come out of nowhere and was currently drumming against the car roof. This was going to be fun.

‘There’s nothing for it Bernard, we’re just going to have to try ringing at each of them.’ He decided.

Bernard gave him a look in the rear-view mirror that said _or we could just go home and try another time_. But that idea didn’t even present itself as an option to Louis. Harry’s card had changed everything. Suddenly he saw the opportunity to be able to grasp happiness in a way he could have never hoped for, and absolutely nothing was going to jeopardise that for him.

‘Right best get on with it.’ He stated as he opened the door, umbrella at the ready.

The moment he stepped out Bernard was already at his side, determined to hold the umbrella for him. Louis was repeatedly amazed by the diligence of the staff that accompanied him daily in this position. Usually he would have protested that he can carry his own umbrella, but that would have taken time. Time he didn’t have right now because he needed to get to Harry. Needed to explain everything, that the ‘sorry’ was never necessary, only the rest and that he was so utterly gone on him that it was driving him crazy. That for this whole time, really, he had always been his.

He knocked on the first door with his heart thudding like a drum in his chest. It was only then that he even thought to wonder whether Bernard had any clue as to why they were venturing down Harris Street on Christmas Eve. There wasn’t time to think up an explanation though as the door before them swung open.

An elderly lady stood on the other side, her eyes ran up and down Louis in confusion.

‘Hello, does Harry live here?’

Her expression only became more puzzled at that. ‘No...’

‘Right, fine. Thank you. Sorry to disturb.’ He smiled once politely before turning away.

‘Here wait, aren’t… aren’t you the Prime Minister?’

The idea that he might be recognised hadn’t crossed Louis’ mind somehow when he came up with this last minute plan. If it got out that he had been knocking on strangers’ doors all night, he would certainly get a reputation for the most bizarre Prime Minister ever - not really the image he had been working towards. Still, none of that mattered right now. Time to just go with the flow.

‘Er yes, in fact, I am. Merry Christmas.’ He explained, ‘Part of the service now. Trying to get round everyone by New Year's Eve.’

The lady reacted delighted to that and even offered a mince pie for each of them to take, which Bernard accepted graciously.

Six doors later and Louis was beginning to wonder whether, should Harry happen to have the highest house number, they would still be here by morning. The rain had thankfully stopped after about house four, but not before the umbrella had been turned inside out by a gust of wind and left them exposed. Water droplets fell from Louis’ hair which he attempted to pat away and his already dishevelled suit was now damp - just to complete the look. It made him hope more than ever that Harry would want him for his personality because his appearance certainly wouldn’t be doing the dazzling in this case.

They were now at house number fourteen after having just sung a Christmas carol for the children at number twelve. Fortunately, Bernard had the hidden talent of the most amazing tenor voice which was unveiled as they sang the words to ‘Good King Wenceslas’ for the little ones. Louis made a mental note to remind him of it later.

He knocked again on this door, though mentally more drained, his heart continued to beat rapidly in anticipation. A young woman appeared on the other side. Her hair was dark and cropped, and a blatantly expensive golden necklace stood out on the background of her deep red robe.

‘Hello. Sorry to disturb. Does Harry live here?’

‘No.’ She answered, looking more than surprised at her guest. Louis felt himself deflate a little. ‘He lives next door.’

His eyes widened at the information but before he could react upon it, she continued again, ‘You’re not who I think you are, are you?’

Louis really didn’t have it in him right now to bother with his image, Harry was currently less than ten metres away from him.

‘Yes and I'm sorry about all the cock-ups. My cabinet are absolute crap. We hope to do better next year. Merry Christmas to you.’ Was all he said before he turned around and made a run for the house next door.

 

This time before he knocked he briefly tried to fix his appearance. He pushed the damp strands of hair behind his ears where he could, and hurriedly straightened the sleeves of his jacket as well as the soaked collar of his shirt. Bernard gave him a knowing look that indicated he probably had guessed by now what was going on. Without a doubt this would reach Liam by tomorrow and Louis would never hear the end of it.

He reached his hand out to use the door knocker but ended up tapping the thin air as it swung open ahead of him. A crowd of people stood on the other side. They were clearly ready to leave, armed with thick coats and winter scarfs. He tried to politely ignore the peculiarity of some of the children in costumes, particularly one girl who was struggling to move in an octopus get-up.

 

‘Uhm, hello. Is Harry in?’

‘Oh, where the fuck is my fucking coat?’ He heard Harry before he saw him. The familiar sound of his low voice struck a chord in Louis that made him even more desperate to see the person it belonged to.

Everybody at the door now turned to face Harry as he came rushing down the stairs into the hallway where they stood.  

‘Shit.’ The word escaped him the moment he caught sight of Louis. He froze. Eyes the size of saucers.

‘Harry?’ One of the elder ladies at the door looked back and forth between them with a raised eyebrow.

Harry continued to stare like a deer caught in the headlights and Louis had the abrupt urge to run away. This had been a terrible idea; he should have sent Harry an email or something like a normal person.

As if he could sense Louis’ sudden flight instinct, Harry spoke quickly.

‘Louis-hello. This is my mum and my dad and my Uncle Tony and my Auntie Glynne.’ He rattled the names out as if they were lines he had rehearsed for a play. ‘And these are all my brothers and sisters…’

‘Hello.’ The same lady as before, who Louis assumed was Auntie Glynne, reached out a hand for him to shake.

‘Very nice to meet you.’ Louis tried to be as well-mannered as possible despite the awkwardness of the situation he had suddenly found himself in.

Harry cleared his throat a little whilst nervously stealing glances in Louis’ direction. ‘And, erm...this is the Prime Minister.’

‘Yes, we can see that, darling.’ Auntie Glynne was the only one to speak again and this time she gave Harry a suggestive wink which Louis pretended not to see.

‘Erm,’ He looked away immediately, face catching an unmistakably pinkish shade. ‘and unfortunately, we’re very late.’

Harry’s mum seemed to suddenly jump back to life at the mentioning of being late, ‘It's the school Christmas concert, you see, Louis. And it's the first time all the local schools have joined together, even St Basil's, which is most…’

‘Too much detail, mum.’ Harry interrupted.

‘Anyway, how can we help, sir?’ Auntie Glynne brought the conversation back on track once more.

‘Well I, just,’ Louis fumbled for something to say that wasn’t: _I just wanted to tell Harry I need him in every sense of the word._ ‘I just needed Harry… on some state business.’

‘Oh.’ Glynne answered, clearly sceptical as to whether her nephew had anything to do with state business. ‘Right yes, of course. Well, perhaps you can come on later Bambi?’

Harry’s uncle gave her a quick jab with his elbow which led to her quickly correcting herself, ‘I mean, _Harry_ , you could come on later, Harry.’

‘I don’t want to make you late for the concert.’

‘No, it's nothing, really.’ Harry immediately replied, this time looking directly at Louis and he felt himself involuntarily suck in a breath.

‘Keith'll be very disappointed.’

Harry only repeated himself, ‘No, really, it doesn't matter.’

His mum didn’t seem to get the hint though as she continued, ‘The octopus costume's taken me months. Eight is a lot of legs, Louis.’

Louis nodded his head understandingly though what the hell an octopus had to do with a Christmas concert, was lost on him.

‘Mm. Erm... Listen, why don't I give you a lift and then we can talk about this state business in the car?’

‘Ok.’ Harry agreed instantly with a gentle smile forming on his lips.

Auntie Glynne clapped her hands together before exclaiming, ‘lovely, yes!’

 

Bernard arranged for a second car to come and take the majority of Harry’s family away. The only passengers left for his own car were Harry and the octopus girl. Louis wasn’t sure how this arrangement had come to be but he had come this far, so it seemed right to just go with it. In the end they all sat in the back, Harry and Louis either side of her, with papier-mâché tentacles spreading out across their laps.  

‘How far is this place?’ Louis wondered as the car began to roll off the pavement.

‘Just round the corner.’

He felt Harry studying his face carefully and got the impression that he seemed hopeful somehow. It was enough for Louis to gain the confidence he needed to finally vocalise that which he had been on the brink of blurting out the moment he saw Harry again.

‘Ah, right. Well, er... I just wanted to say...’ He licked his lips hesitantly, ‘thank you for the Christmas card.’

He could practically feel Harry’s face light up and it made him wish more than ever that they weren’t currently separated by a small octopus.

‘You’re welcome.’ He answered warmly. Then his expression fell somewhat and he hurried to add, ‘Look, I'm so sorry about that day. I came in and she slinked towards me and there was a fire and she's the President of the United States and it was really confusing, nothing happened, I promise. I just felt like such a fool because... I think about you all the time, actually. And I think you're the man that I really...’

‘We're here!’ The octopus girl interrupted him eagerly as the car slowed to a halt.

‘Love.’

The last word fell from his lips like a bombshell that set Louis’ very being on fire. Any kind of appropriate reply he might have come up with was prevented however, by the clambering of an octopus trying to get past him and out of the car.

‘Oh, wow. That really was just round the corner.’ He remarked, frustrated with both himself and the situation more than anything. ‘Well, look, l... I think I'd better not come in; you know? The last thing anyone wants is some smarmy politician stealing the kids' thunder.’

‘No, please come. It'll be great.’

‘No, I...I better not.’ He sighed internally. This was not how he had pictured the evening going, not that he had ever been much of a romantic but he was fairly certain that he had fucked this one up. He continued uncertainly, ‘But, I will be very sorry to drive away from you.’

The octopus had now successfully left the car and they sat in silence as Harry reached a hand over to touch Louis’ reassuringly. ‘Just give me one second…’

Louis didn’t want to let him go once their hands had connected, but before he could protest, Harry had torn the door open, given him one last timid smile and run off.

He watched as he disappeared into a side door of the school and accepted that it was probably best to just give up all expectations for the evening. By now he was absolutely clueless as to what was actually going on. Only Harry’s words kept replaying in his head and held him fixed to his seat. _Love_. He bit his lip to prevent a smile that might split his face.

 

 _’I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes…’_ the radio volume unexpectedly increased and Louis looked up to the front in surprise. Bernard was grinning at him suggestively in the mirror like a Cheshire cat.

‘Oh my god,’ he rolled his eyes and sunk a little lower in his seat in humiliation, ‘shut it.’

 

He was spared any further comments from his chauffeur as the door next to him was pulled open and caused his elbow which had been leaning on it to fall. ‘What the-‘

‘Come on in. We can watch from backstage.’ Harry’s face was suddenly in front of him: dimples, curls and all.

Louis was so relieved to see him that he undid his seatbelt in a heartbeat, ready to follow wherever.

‘OK. Bernard, I won't be long.’ He called before closing the door behind him. ‘Look, this has to be a very secret visit, OK?’

‘Don't worry. This was my school. I know my way around.’ Harry agreed enthusiastically, his expression that of a rebellious schoolkid. ‘Come on.’

 

Louis couldn’t believe it. He was meant to be a responsible and modest Prime Minister, yet here he was running through the back entrance of a primary school whilst holding the boy he loves’ hand. The fact that he could acknowledge that though had him feeling giddy all over again. _He loved Harry._ What had seemed so complicated and impossible, now was so simple.

They reached the backstage area and Harry slowed down to a walk, their fingers still intertwined. He was just about to pull Harry to a stop, to tell him more, when a voice from behind rang distinctly familiar in his ear.

‘Look, the sheep are ready already and you're not even...’

 _Perrie?_ He spun around instantly.

 

‘Oh, Louis!’ She screamed as soon as she saw him, throwing her arms around his shoulders in tight hug that cut his air supply off.

‘Ah! Oh, how are you? Hi, Lilly.’ He tried to wave to his niece next to her whilst scrambling for air. ‘Hey, hey, hey. Are you all right?’

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ She asked, but gave him no time to answer before continuing, ‘I left him!’

‘What?’

‘Zayn, I left him.’ She repeated with a strangely upbeat tone. ‘The necklace wasn’t for me. The idiot actually went and bought it for his secretary and didn’t even think to hide it properly. I can’t be dealing with his shit anymore Lou. So I left him, and took my daughter with me.’

Louis stared at her in awe. He couldn’t quite think what to say. There clearly was no need for him to be protective, she could handle herself. ‘Ok well remind me to never get on the wrong side of you. I’m proud of you Perrie.’

‘So you should be.’ She remarked whilst going in for another hug again, ‘Still, I've never been gladder to see my stupid big brother. Thank you.’

He reciprocated the hug, grateful more than ever that he had somehow ended up at this children’s Christmas concert tonight. It was then that Perrie noticed that they weren’t alone and quickly turned to address Harry.

‘Oh, now. We haven't been introduced.’

She looked at Louis expectantly whilst reaching a hand out to Harry.

‘This is Harry, who's my, erm...’ He fumbled for what the appropriate word ought to be. In the end he surrendered to what was easiest., ‘who's my, erm, catering manager.’

‘Oh? ‘Perrie replied, clearly aware that there was more to it.

‘Hi.‘ Harry shook her hand happily. He seemed far less flustered by the situation than Louis was feeling.

‘Catering manager? Watch he keeps his hands off you. You’re just his type.’ She remarked as she gave him a once over.

Louis’ eyes widened in horror. He held his hand out in a _stop_ motion in an attempt to give his sister that very clear signal.

‘I'll be very careful. Don't try something, sir, just because it's Christmas.’ Harry winked at him jokingly.

Oh my god. That cheeky son of a—Just for that he was definitely going to try something as soon as they were alone.

‘No, seriously.’ His sister persisted. ‘Anyway, come on. Showtime. Quickly. We’re already late. Look, see you after Lou, yeah?’

‘Yeah.’ He gave up, deciding to let this one go. She wasn’t wrong after all.

 

A bustle of children and teachers followed the direction she went and Harry tugged Louis aside out of the way. Then it was just the two of them. Hidden from the ongoing commotion by a thick curtain which tuned out the surrounding noise. Louis could just barely make out a rendition of ‘All I want for Christmas’ playing in the background.

A prop suddenly fell from somewhere behind Harry as he attempted to shuffle into a more comfortable spot.

‘Oops!’ He whispered apologetically, though the sound of the concert drowned out any disturbance it may have created.

When he looked up from where it had fallen, they both realised how close to each other they suddenly were. Louis could smell the mild sweetness of Harry’s cologne, could make out the lighter shades of green in the iris of his eye and could feel the way his breath increased with his pulse.

‘Hi.’ Louis voiced quietly, his brain failing to think of another word.

‘Hi.’ Harry leaned in closer so that their foreheads were almost touching. His tone wavered as he continued to speak whilst never breaking eye contact. ‘About what I said before… I meant it. I need you Lou, not seeing you for the past three weeks after you fired me has been the worst-‘

‘I didn’t _fire_ you,’ Louis interjected, determined to make that much clear. ‘I had you moved elsewhere. I just couldn’t deal with- with…’

Harry watched him both nervously and expectantly. ‘With?’

Louis lost the ability to reason anything under the force that was increasingly pulling him towards Harry’s very being.

‘Fuck it,’ He exclaimed as he grabbed Harry with both hands, confirmed with his eyes briefly that it was ok and firmly joined their lips together. It was sweet, desperate, and loving all at the same time, and Louis couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across his face. He reached up, letting his hands course through Harry’s locks and automatically lent his body inwards as soon as Harry’s hand travelled down to his lower back.

 ‘I couldn’t deal with having you around all the bloody time,’ He breathed out the words once he could think again. ‘You were a distraction I never thought I could have. Instead it just felt like I was constantly making things troublesome for you. I’m sorry, I should have asked first…’

‘There was literally not a single moment in which you couldn’t have me, you idiot.’ Harry brushed his lips against his in response, eagerly craving more. ‘Especially not after that night where you decided to ruin me with your glasses, and that soft fringe of yours which I just wanted to run my hands through, and your “I can kill anyone you want me to” attitude.’

Louis’ head spun with the information and he immediately responded to Harry’s need to continue the kiss as if it was the only thing that anchored him to reality anymore.

 

Then out of nowhere, there was a lot more that pulled him back to reality. The curtain around them fell down like a giant wave, the gust of it knocking them out of their own little world. With no time to react properly, they parted with a start and Louis felt his mind blank at the sound of hundreds of gasps. He turned slowly to face the audience that was now watching them. The intimate warmth of only Harry’s presence was suddenly replaced with the empty feeling of having a bundle of strangers staring aghast at him. He spared a glimpse in Harry’s direction only to find that he was even more dumbfounded. His eyes wide and mouth open, almost as if he was afraid. That was enough for Louis to remember his basic media training to be the first to react.

‘Right,’ He stated jokingly, ‘So not quite as secret as we had hoped.’

The sound of his voice seemed to provoke some consciousness back into Harry who whispered anxiously, ‘What do we do now?’

‘Smile, and wave.’ Louis replied through a forced grin.

‘Did you just quote _Madagascar_?’

‘Oh my god.’ Louis shook his head lovingly; he was so besotted that the audience seemed a million miles away again. ‘Shut up and do it.’

He bowed for extra effect and Harry soon mirrored him. That in itself was enough for the audience to get to their feet, applause erupted throughout the entire auditorium with dispersed cheers and wolf whistles. ‘Get in there!’ A distinctly Irish voice called out from the background somewhere. Harry was grinning wildly by now and he clutched onto Louis’ hands keenly. Somehow, Louis had to prevent himself from bursting out with laughter. This must be fucking weirdest school concert ever. Not to mention the fact that it was definitely not a Christmas eve he could have ever foreseen for himself. Liam was going to have a field day with the Press tomorrow.

He wasn’t able to feel guilty for long though because next thing he knew, Harry was tugging him off the stage and back into a private corner. The audience once more became a muffled sound in the distance and suddenly Harry was the one in control again as he crowded him up against a wall.

‘Let’s go celebrate Christmas properly.’ He spoke lowly into Louis’ ear and sent a shiver through his body.

Louis gave him an eager kiss in return only to feel the coarseness of his, once dripping wet, collar rub up against his neck. ‘If you insist. But first I really need to go get changed, in case you’ve forgotten I got drenched earlier because of you.’

‘Sounds good, I’ll help if you want-’ He gave a small smirk as he made the suggestion and Louis felt his knees literally go weak at the images that came to his mind.

A moment’s silence followed until he realised that Harry was now actually failing to suppress a fit of giggles as he leant over his shoulder.

‘What?’

‘I just-‘ He pulled himself up straight and tried to compose himself by wiping a hand over his eyes, ‘I can’t believe you knocked on every door in my street.’

Louis felt his face redden before he was able to find the words to defend himself. ‘What the fuck was I supposed to do? It’s not my fault you weren’t more specific.’

If it was possible, Harry’s eyes only sparkled in returned and he dissolved Louis’ outrage with a quick peck on the lips. ‘Shall we?’

Louis twirled a curl around his fingers one last time, thrilled that he could now do that whenever he wanted, before nodding in agreement, ‘Alright Bambi, sounds like a plan’.

He took the lead and grinned like the little shit he was, as he listened to Harry frantically try to defend the nickname on their way out.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I realise I changed a few bits here and there - it was just kind of fun to give it a twist. Hope you enjoyed it, kudos and comments are always more than appreciated!  
> \---  
> Follow me on tumblr if this tickles your fancy: http://satellitemoments.tumblr.com/

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Love Actually, is all around](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8346967) by [flowercage](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowercage/pseuds/flowercage)




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